|
 The Clippers completed a four-game, season-series sweep of the
Lakers with a 105-100 victory at Staples Center on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't say it's just about results, but we'll take the win,"
said Clippers power forward Blake Griffin, who scored 27 points,
grabbed seven rebounds and handed out six assists. "It's about
playing the right way, especially at this time of year. They were
playing hard and hitting tough shots. The biggest thing for us was
just to stay with the game plan and stay on each other."
The Clippers continued their quest for home-court advantage in the
first round of the playoffs, moving to 53-26 to remain in fifth
place in the West. The Clippers are now tied with Memphis in the
standings, but the Grizzlies hold the No. 3 spot based on a 2-1
head-to-head record -- though the teams play again Saturday in
Staples Center. The Clippers would even the first tiebreaker with a
win. The second tiebreaker is conference record, and that battle
figures to go to the final game of the season.
The win also kept the Clippers a half-game ahead of the scorching
San Antonio Spurs, who trounced the Thunder in Oklahoma City on
Tuesday for their ninth win in 10 games.
The Lakers sunk to 20-57, the NBA's fourth-worst record.
Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick scored 27 points, bookending the
game with offensive flurries early in the first quarter and late in
the fourth. Point guard Chris Paul had 19 points and a game-high 10
assists. Center DeAndre Jordan's 17 rebounds and three blocks were
both game highs.
"When (Redick) gets it going, the guys make sure he gets shots, and
they do it through ball movement. I was really happy to see it,"
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
Redick, Duke's all-time leading scorer, is one of two alumni of the
national champion Blue Devils on the Clippers, the other being
Rivers' son, Austin.
"(Redick) and Austin were as obnoxious as ever," Rivers said with a
laugh.
The Lakers were led by point guard Jordan Clarkson's team-high 20
points and six assists, though he was held scoreless in the fourth
quarter. Center Tarik Black added 16 points and nine rebounds.
"I knew he was going to come back and play well," Lakers coach Byron
Scott said of Clarkson, who scored just two points against the
Clippers in the teams' previous meeting Sunday. "It was a step in
the right direction for him."
After the game was tight midway through the fourth quarter, the
Clippers reeled off seven swift points, five from Redick followed by
Paul's alley-oop pass for small forward Matt Barnes' slam to put the
Lakers firmly in the rearview mirror.
[to top of second column] |
"We just couldn't make three or four consistent stops in a row.
They're a good team," Scott said.
Ahead 76-69 after three quarters, the Clippers played their second
unit for the first half of the fourth quarter. In that span, the
Clippers kept pace thanks to Austin Rivers' three consecutive
buckets. The Lakers put together a 9-2 run, cutting their deficit to
one point and forcing the Clippers to call a timeout and reinsert
their starters with 5:55 remaining.
"I feel great (about the playoffs)," Rivers said. "We've just got to
get there, lace 'em up and see what happens. I like our team a lot,
I really do, I like our mindset."
The Clippers led 50-39 at the half, paced by Redick and Jordan.
Redick dropped 17 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, including a
perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. He poured in nine of those
points in a 106-second stretch of the first quarter.
Jordan snagged 10 first-half rebounds, nine of them on the defensive
end, and also had a pair of dunks in a 34-second span in the first
quarter.
NOTES: Clippers SG Jamal Crawford (calf) played for the first time
since March 2. He scored four points in 19 minutes. ... The Lakers
continue to be plagued by a litany of injuries. Five players are out
for the year, and SF Nick Young (knee) is unlikely to return this
season. ... The Clippers won the previous three meetings with the
Lakers by margins of seven, 25 and 28 points. They won for the 11th
time in the past 12 showdowns against the Lakers.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
